The Aeneid Flashcards
(16 cards)
“It is the constant awareness of duty…”
“It is the constant awareness of duty and responsibility that makes Aeneas a new kind of epic hero.” Richard Jenkyns
“It seems that Aeneas makes no active choice…”
“It seems that Aeneas makes no active choice at all: overcome by mad passions, he slaughters Turnus.” Emma Buckely
“When Aeneas kills Turnus, Virgil employs the verb….”
“When Aeneas kills Turnus, Virgil employs the verb, condere, which means not just ‘to stab’, but also ‘to found’. When Aeneas puts Turnus to the sword, he sets in motion the foundation of the Roman race.” Emma Buckely
“The contradictions in Aeneas’ actions…”
“The contradictions in Aeneas’ actions make him difficult to like, but certainly make him human.” Richard Jenkyns
“Turnus is a ‘Homeric’ hero…”
“Turnus is a ‘Homeric’ hero, dashing, unthinking and violent, who must give way to the new style hero, the proto-Roman Aeneas.” Richard Rutherford
“Others see Aeneas’ anger as a surprising lapse…”
“Others see Aeneas’ anger as a surprising lapse or even as something sinister, which may suggest that there is a dark irrational element lurking in even the most perfect hero.” Susanna Braund
“Dido is certainly a victim…”
“Dido is certainly a victim of circumstances and the gods.” Ian Quesnay
“As modern readers Dido…”
“As modern readers Dido evokes our sincerest sympathy.” Philip Hardie
“Juno is a typical…”
“Juno is a typical soap opera bitch.” Harrison
“Everyone is powerless… Turnus is hopeless…”
“Everyone is powerless under the forces of the gods. Turnus is hopeless due to the manipulations of the gods.” Richard Rutherford
Augustus is “at the heart…”
Augustus is “at the heart of the epic.” Harrison
“Camilla is…”
“Camilla is an androgynous monstrosity.” Gildenhard and Henderson
“The effortlessly virtuous women of the epic…”
“The effortlessly virtuous women of the epic, prove their virtue precisely by submitting to the masculine plot of history.” Ellen Olliensis
“The concept of fate…”
“The concept of fate dominates the Aeneid.” Gransden
“He is no superhuman figure…”
“He is no superhuman figure, he is very much an ordinary mortal.” R.D. Williams
“It is Aeneas who…”
“It is Aeneas who loses in the end.” Gordon Williams
